ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · nail · prune · lash · rock · fall · capital · deal

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rock — music
  6. capital — a city
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — money
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. land — a country
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com